Unlikely Roommates
by JulieArchery107
Summary: Aragorn and Legolas meet and get to know each other in the unlikeliest of places and, the funny thing is, its all Thranduil's fault.
1. Chapter 1

"Unlikely Roommates."

Chapter 1

"The problems of Mirkwood."

Aragorn grunted as he was led to a dungeon, by two Mirkwood warriors.

He has been taken hostage by Thranduil the Elvenking of Mirkwood, for trespassing through his forest to get to his homeland in Rivendell. Elves in this part of Arda were less trusting towards men than in the land of Lord Elrond, and the young human was beginning to regret ever placing a foot in that damn forest.

Aragorn didn't even bother explaining everything to the Mirkwood leader, knowing that the proud king wouldn't even listen to his excuses mainly because he was already irritated by something else that happened. The angry frown on the handsome face told him that much, and an angry Thranduil is not something anybody could just handle.

The fearless, blonde elf had a temper that was well known around Middle Earth and nobody in their right mind would dare face him when he's furious.

An angry Thranduil, is a deadly Thranduil.

And, son of Elrond or no, Aragorn knew he wouldn't be spared from the elf's anger if he unleashed the raging storm that was hiding behind the elvenking's blue eyes. Not that he was stupid enough to do that.

He just hopes his father and twin brothers never find out, just how easily he let himself get caught.

The ranger was sure he wouldn't hear the end of it, if it did reach Rivendell.

After a few minutes of silent walking the loyal, Mirkwood soldiers opened the door of the nearest, empty dungeon and threw him, ever so gently, into the stack of hay he was now supposed to call "bed".

Sighting the human waited till the warriors disappeared behind the nearest corner, before focusing his attention on the guard standing a little to the right from his cell.

"So…How long do you think he's going to keep me in here?" Starting a friendly conversation to get a possible ally in the enemy's ranks, is one of the earliest things he learned while traveling with Rangers. It helped with getting the information you needed and kept his mind from going insane with boredom, during the times he was captured and _not_ tortured ruthlessly by his captors, till he fainted.

The elf shrugged. "I don't know." Came a truthful answer. "Perhaps till the king realizes how illogical it is to be wasting an empty on someone who did nothing wrong, instead of on a person that actually deserves it. Like a serial killer or a burglar."

Aragorn agreed full-heartily, knowing that Thranduil only locked him in here, because he was too irritated to deal with the imposing human right there and then. That, and locking up a representation of a species long despised, served quite well as a stress-reliever.

The ranger knew the king will come to his senses and let him out, once he cooled down from whatever happened that set him off in the first place. Though he couldn't help but wonder how long he'll have to sit around in this cold, dark cell, waiting for it to occur. The Elvenking wasn't someone who could calm down after an hour of not thinking about the source of his anger, and whatever happened seemed to be quite serious if he resolved to giving his potential guests dungeon cells instead of rooms.

"But, I suppose you can't blame the king _entirely_ for the actions he's committing these days." The guard suddenly said with a sight. "He's going through a _very_ difficult time right now, and doesn't quite know how to handle it without his emotions and hot temper, getting the better of him."

Aragorn raised an eyebrow. "Oh?"

The elf chuckled. "It all can be summed up in one single sentence, actually. It goes like this: 'The princeling just recently mastered and built his own weapon'."

"Ah…" The ranger nodded his head in understanding.

This particular event is very special in the elven culture for during this particular trial, after many years of training in gyms, young elves journey from boy to man. Those who passed would be treated like full grown adults and could be sent into the forest to face their first real enemies.

Aragorn could now see why the king was so upset earlier that day. He himself had a similar situation a couple of years back when _he_ completed the trials, with his father Elrond.

The prince probably asked him to be sent on a patrol with other graduates and Thranduil predictably refused to let him go, fearing for his life like any good parent would. This disagreement quickly turned into a full blown argument, resulting in the son storming out of the palace and the father yelling for him to come back.

"I suspect our dear king is having his 'mother-hen' stage." The ranger said rubbing his chin with a gloved hand. He could only imagine the amount of stress the proud king was going through and, giving into account the painful past of the Mirkwood royal family, it was no wonder he was so fearful for his heir's life.

Like he stated before, Aragorn had the same problem two years ago with his own father.

With him being the only human to complete the trials, Elrond nearly had a _fit_ when a younger Estel asked him if he could join Elladan and Elrohir on patrol. That however, didn't stop the adventure-hungry man from achieving his goal, sneaking out of the place and joining his brothers anyway.

The guard laughed and shook his head. "More like his: 'Overprotective-daddy-Thranduil' stage, my friend." He stated chuckling. "What he was doing to prevent young Greenleaf from leaving the protective walls of this castle, was _far_ beyond the 'mother-hen' faze."

"Really?" Estel raised an eyebrow. "How so?"

"Well, last week he made sure every horse in the royal stables had at least one leg injured, so that Legolas would be unable to join the patrol. And when _that_ didn't work he decided to outright _drug_ his son during dinner and lock him in his room with the key hidden in the king's private desk."

Hearing this Aragorn had to admit that the first action was _way_ beyond 'mother-hen' level of protectiveness, but the second one was less harsh for even _his_ father often took that rout in order to stop either him or his brothers, from going on patrols when they're obviously not ready.

"Let me guess." The ranger moved to another, more comfortable position on the stack of hey. "They didn't work."

The elven guard sighted. "No. No they didn't. The only thing they _did_ was wake up Legolas's, what we like to call, 'Inner-Thranduil'. Because when _he_ gets angry, he's just as bad as his father."

Aragorn laughed. "I can almost imagine all the yelling that happens, when the prince reaches his breaking point."

"It sounded as if Thranduil was yelling at himself." The guard described. "Both equally livid, both insanely stubborn and both used to getting what they want." Another sight escaped the young elf's mouth. "Sometimes they can go on for _hours_ , only stopping when their throats could no longer take the abuse."

The human nodded even though the elf could not see him. "It looked to me like today was such a day." He said, recalling his meeting with the elf king in his mind. "The elvenking's voice sounded scratchy when he barked for your colleagues to take me to my new room."

He could see the young guardian nod his head. "After a month of withstanding his father's pitiful attempts to keep him indoors, the prince decided it has gone long enough and went to confront him."

"How did it end?"

"With another argument, of course." The elf snorted. "And it will always end that way, if Lord Thranduil won't accept the fact that his son is no longer a defenseless elfling, only a strong, independent young man who can take care of himself."

"Sometimes it takes time for a father to ease up." Aragorn stated, drifting into sleep. "But he will eventually." A yawn interrupted his speech. "Prince Legolas just needs to give him time."

The last thing the ranger heard was the guard reply:

"I'm afraid that's one thing the prince is not willing to give anymore."


	2. Chapter 2

"Unlikely Roommates."

Chapter 2

"The seeds of friendship."

"This is beyond disgraceful! How could he do this to me?!" A youthful, angry voice yelled, waking up the young ranger from his goodnight sleep. "This time he's gone _too far_! I'm _sick_ of him treating me like a defenseless elfling! I'm almost a thousand years-old and I do _not_ need my _daddy_ to lock me up in a _dungeon,_ in order to prevent me from getting hurt by _air_ and a few small spiders!" The new voice growled. "I can take care of myself just _fine_ , thank you!" There was a yell of irritation that echoed in both the walls of the cell and Aragorn's ears. "By the _Valar_ , this needs to _stop_! When I get out of here, I'm going to go to that son of a-"

"Legolas!" Another voice, a one the ranger recognized, scolded. "Stop this rampage this instant! Despite your feelings for your father, he is _still_ your _king_. You cannot go insulting him, no matter how angry he makes you. It doesn't fit for an elven warrior _nor_ a _prince_ to disgrace their ruler in that way."

"I can't _help_ it, Alanell!" The voice, Aragorn began labeling as 'Legolas', yelled back. "Everything he's putting me thought, just to keep me from leaving, is driving me _nuts_!"

The ranger just had to chuckle. He remembered himself saying those exact words a few years back, when he was going through the 'Overprotective-Elrond' stage a few years back.

A growl came from the right side of the cell.

"What are _you_ laughing at, _human_?" Legolas growled at him and Aragorn just realized he kept his eyes shut the entire time.

When he finally opened his stormy orbs, he nearly instantly closed them in laughter.

Right next to him lied a young, golden haired elf dressed in a dark-green tunic and brown leggings…tied up like a deer after a hunt. With his hands being tied to his legs with a separate rope so that, even if he manages to separate then, he'd still be unable to move.

The ranger probably wouldn't be laughing so hard, if the poor elf didn't look a bit too much like Thranduil for his own good.

"Stop _laughing_!" The elven prince growled. "This _isn't_ funny!" Legolas then somehow managed to push himself to a sitting position, blonde hair ruffled from all the wriggling he did on the floor and the, usually pail, features were reddened with the blush of embarrassment. That moment Aragorn realized that they were, in fact, sharing the same sell.

Seeing the angry face of the unfortunate princeling, made the ranger laugh so _hard_ his insides hurt.

"Will you _knock it off_ already?!" Legolas yelled angrily. "My condition stopped being funny, five minutes ago! Stop. Laughing!"

"S-Sorry, sorry" Aragorn wheezed, trying to calm himself down but failing miserably. "I-I'm s-sorry, I r-really am." He closed his deep gray eyes and took a few calming breaths. "It's just that-" Another wave of laugher claimed him at the sight of the angry prince, this time accompanied by him punching the ground with his fists and tears running down his face. "You...l-look so…so much like-" He wasn't even able to finish that sentence, that scene was so funny.

Legolas's bright-blue eyes narrowed and then widened in realization.

"You're…you're not even laughing at me, are you?" His face angry. "You're laughing at my _father_ , imagining him in my place!"

The ranger knew he had been discovered, but couldn't rid himself of the image of a tied-up King Thranduil, looking more like a deer after a successful hunt than a respectful ruler. He simply nodded to confirm the prince's accusation, earning himself a growl from the (by elf standards) younger man.

"Well stop it! Your fun has gone on, long enough!" He yelled clearly irritated and embarrassed, turning his back to the ranger rather clumsily. "Not. A. Word." The elf warned as he moved towards the further corner of the room, the only way he knew how. By dragging his bum across the floor like a dog, muttering something about 'insufferable humans' and 'annoying Adas' under his breath.

Not wanting to angry the poor elf any further, Aragorn listened to his warning and turned his head away.

After a minute of silence, the sound of a rope scratching rock, hit his ears. It looked like the young heir to the throne was trying to get rid of his bonds.

"I'm sorry about his…cranky behavior, Strider." The guard, AKA Alanell, said after a long sight. "He's usually a lot…friendlier towards the people he just met."

Aragorn gave a short chuckle before shaking his head. "It's all right. I was no better than he is, when I was his age." He then turned to face the green clad elf, trying desperately to free himself from the bounds. "I can also safely say, I know _exactly_ where he's coming from." The scratchy sound stopped for a second. "The strong need to put all that hard training to use in a real battle, the frustration when your own father gives in to his overprotective instincts and wants to keep you safe form the brutality of the outside world, just a little longer; the fierce _anger_ when you miss your first real patrol because he pulled out another of the many tricks he keeps under his sleeve, to prevent you from even leaving the palace. Be it ordering the guards to block your path for at least ten minutes, whenever you pass them, or placing sleeping herbs into your morning drink, or something eternally different."

Isildur's heir knew the prince was listening and smiled at that. "But that all passed after a few months." He admitted. "My father just needed the extra time to comprehend the fact, that his youngest son is already old enough to leave his nest." He sighted reaching out for the tray of food a passing guard left him. "It was a hard journey for the both of us, but ultimately he accepted the fact that I'm no longer a child and began treating me like an adult." He took a break for a small bite of lembas. "You see, princeling?" Aragorn asked smiling at the elf, who turned his head and was staring at him over his shoulder. "We're more alike than you think."

The blonde humph-ed. "Perhaps." He an agreed hesitantly. "But there _is_ a difference between my situation and yours."

"Oh really? What difference?"

"Your father's 'overprotective' stage was over in a few months." He slighter. "My father will stay in it for the rest of my _life_. Valar, he doesn't even let me leave the _palace_ nowadays." Legolas then turned his attention towards the rope bounding his hands and legs. "I _have_ to get out of here _tonight_ , if I ever want to see something other than the four walls in my room."

Aragorn mussed over what the younger said. He heard tales form his father and brothers about Thranduil's legendary stubbornness and was fairly sure the blonde elf was right.

If the King of Elves dedicated himself to protecting his elfling, there was little that could change his mind as well as prevent him from fulfilling his plan, if he thought Middle Earth was too dangerous for his little Greenleaf to explore it, right now.

The only way the young elf could go out to see the world outside the palace walls, was to run away from home under the cover of the night.

But nothing said he had to go alone.

"You are right princeling." Aragorn said walking up to the elf. "And that's why, I want to offer you my help."


	3. Chapter 3

"Unlikely Roommates."

Chapter 3

"Revelations of the prince."

The prince blinked at the man before him.

"Help? You want to _help_ me?" He whispered, not believing the words being spoken. "Why would a human help a wood-elf?" Legolas asked his young voice full of childish curiosity, cooking his head to the side like a dog not understanding a command.

He meant what he said.

From what he learned from his private lessons as an elfling, the only race Thranduil disliked just as much as dwarves, were humans. And, seeing that he is the son of the woodland king who would most likely kill any human on the spot, he didn't really see the logic in the situation Strider was putting him in. The last thing he suspected the man to do, after being locked up in a dungeon by his father, was offer him help to escape.

Aragorn understood the young princeling's confusion.

Though he was raised by an elf who was kind to all, Legolas was brought up by _Thranduil._ An elf well-known for his volcanic temper and hate for two particular races, triggered by traumatic experience from his past _._

The poor kid was probably fed lies about dwarves and humans all throughout his childhood, as naptime stories.

It was no wonder he questioned Aragorn's motives. In his book, the ranger had no _reason_ to help him, the son of a man who openly showed his dislike for him and his people.

"Yes, my dear princeling." He spoke, looking the elf straight in the eyes. "I want to help you escape your father's clutches, so that you can see the world outside the woods. And besides," He smiled brightly at the teen. "I think the hatred between wood-elves and my kind has gone on long enough, don't you?"

Legolas blinked and then nodded his head firmly.

He remembered times as an elfling, when he used to walk up to anybody that would listen and ask why his father didn't like the 'elves with wrong ears' and 'small, fuzzy bearded people'.

The adults would tell him, his daddy was deeply hurt by those creatures and was still angry with them. Not allowing old wounds to heal and turn to scars, constantly scratching at them whenever he saw a dwarf and human representative.

The naïve child then asked, why Ada and those people didn't say 'I'm sorry', yet. In his book, those two words could fix anything if they could prevent his father from giving him a spanking season, for breaking a vase the other day.

The servants would then smile sadly and ruffle his hair telling him that, some wounds were just cut too deep for 'I'm sorry' to fix them.

So, as he grew older he began gaining more and more information about the history his Adar shared with the men and dwarves. True, he now knew why his father had such a deep dislike for them, however that didn't explain Thranduil's actions towards representatives that are innocent.

The king might have had a decent reason to hate whoever hurt him back in the day, but those people died a long time ago. Some in such gruesome ways that Legolas's history teacher had to wait till a few months ago, to reveal them to the prince.

They paid their price for hurting the king and his family, and yet…his father's anger still boils strong.

What happened in the past, should be left in the past and Thranduil _knows_ this.

Then…why did he still hold on? Why couldn't he let go? Let the hurt fade into nothingness and focus on the future ahead?

Even after all these years…Thranduil himself, couldn't give him an answer to those questions.

This hate between elves, humans and dwarves had to stop and little Legolas made a woe to himself, as well as the whole woodland kingdom, that he will see to it happen.

He just didn't think I'd occur tonight.

"Good." Aragorn said with a smirk, as he began working on the ropes that bounded the young prince, since all his weapons and pointy things were confiscated by the entrance to the palace. "By the Valar, what kind of knots do you woodland elves use to tie up your prisoners?!" The young ranger yelled in frustration, as the stubborn restrains didn't heed to his attempts to free the prince. "Those things are more twisted, than Glorfindel's 'back-to-the-living' story!"

Legolas sighted, he was afraid the human might say that. "Does that mean you can't untie me?"

"Not without something sharp, I can't." Aragorn replied, taking a quick look around the cell they were in. "Unfortunately this particular cell doesn't seem to have much decoration, when it comes to objects with sharp edges."

The only son of Thranduil found himself smiling despite the circumstances.

"They learned their lesson with me, the last time I escaped." He confessed, chuckling. "It was a shame I ran into one of our patrols, on my way through the forest." The blonde then pouted. "Would have left the Woodland borders, if it wasn't for them." The prince added, bitterly.

Aragorn snorted patting the nearby ground, in a small attempt to find something sharp enough to free the elf.

"You should have paid more attention, then." He told the younger (in human standards) male.

Legolas snorted back at him. "Easy for you to say."

"I find it hard to believe that _anyone_ would have problems with locating a, rather large, group of horse-riding elves." It didn't matter that the elves could have worn armor that blend in perfectly, with the surrounding area. The elven heir to the throne should have spotted _them_ , rather than them spotting, him.

"Not everyone is forced to live locked up in their house by an overprotective father, not being allowed to step their foot above the forests borders, all their lives." Came in the soft reply from Legolas.

Aragorn looked up sharply from where he was searching and set his stormy eyes on the blonde.

"Wait…are you meaning to tell me you don't _know_ Lord Elrond and his sons?" He asked, his voice filled with disbelief. His father and Thranduil may not be best friends, but he suspected that they liked each other enough to introduce themselves to their offspring. _Especially_ since Legolas was the woodland king's only child.

To hear that the prince never met neither his Ada nor his brothers, just seemed unlikely.

But, much to Aragorn's relief, Legolas quickly shook his head.

"No, no, no. You misunderstood me, Strider." Said he. "I never said I didn't meet the good lord and his twins, for I did. On a number of occasions in fact, though I'm sure both our fathers regret that day ever since." He chuckled at that for a second before turning serious again. "What I _meant_ to say is that…" Legolas hesitated for a moment, biting his lower lip. "I never saw Rivendell, or _any_ other kingdom, with my own eyes."

Aragorn's eyes widened in disbelief.

"That…that can't be true." He blurred out. "Lord Elrond and your father are good friends, I'm sure he invited you to Rivendell a number of times."

"Oh he _did_ invite." Legolas agreed bitterly. "But I never accepted. I wasn't allowed to." The prince then looked out the window across him. "My father was even more pharaonic than ever, back then. Believing that everything outside of his precious forest, was out to kill me for no reason." A quiet, un-elf like snort escaped his melodic lips. "The only time that can, _technically_ , be counted as me being in Rivendell, was when my parents wanted to know whenever I'm a boy or a girl, and Elrond was too busy to come over to Mirkwood." The prince sighted. "Other than that…all I ever knew is this forest and, as much as I _love_ Mirkwood. I became _sick_ of it real fast after running through it a gazillion times, after my maturity."

"Thus your enhanced desire to leave on a patrol." Aragorn concluded. "You knew an 'orc hunt' can sometimes force the warriors, to track down those monsters outside the border." He then stroked his growing beard. "And you were _counting_ on it, ever since you began sneaking out the palace."

The prince nodded.

"I knew that if I let Ada have it his way, I'd probably never see anything but trees, in my life. And this seemed like the only way I could see other parts of the world, while also meeting his wish to keep me safe."

Aragorn snorted playfully.

"From what I've heard, that didn't work the way you wanted it to, didn't it?"

Legolas gave a defeated sight, letting the human bask in his admission.

"No…no it didn't." The proud shoulders slumped. "Ada always seemed to know _exactly_ when I was planning to escape." He kicked a bit of dust off the floor, with the tip of his boot. "With that knowledge on his side, all he had to do was wait for his men to tie me up and dump me back into my bed, where I belonged."

The ranger placed a hand on the younger one's shoulder and squeezed it.

"Not this time, my friend." He assured. "Tonight, you shall succeed."

"How do you know?" Legolas asked, sounding defeated. "What makes this time deferent from the last ones?"

Aragorn smiled.

"You have me on your side, that's for one." The ranger grinned. "And I, mellon-nin, am a master when it comes to getting out of tight situations, such as these." He then leaned over to the prince. "All you have to do, is follow my lead…"


	4. Chapter 4

"Unlikely Roommates."

Chapter 4

"Escape."

"There is no way, this is going to work."

"And why not?"

"Because it's _stupid_. And brainless, and idiotic and dumb…and…oh I don't know, so _obvious_ that an _elfling_ could see through that, so called, _brilliant_ plan of yours!"

"I see _nothing_ wrong with _my_ plan."

" _Really_? Then tell me, _oh Great Master of Escape Plans_ , would _Lord Elrond_ fall for this _masterpiece_ of yours? No, the better question would be: Would _Glorfindel or my father_ _fall_ for this _masterpiece_ of a plan that _you_ came up with?" A pause. "Because if the answer to all of that is 'No', then we could just as well try walking out of here, through the cracks in the wall and have just as much success."

"Quite prissy today, aren't we?" A smack echoed through the empty hallways. "Ouch! Stop hitting me!"

"Not until you come up with a plan that can actually _fool_ people that are _older_ than _three_."

A groan is heard in the quiet dungeon.

"Look, we don't have time to work out another escape plan so, unless you want to run away tomorrow evening witch I don't think you do, I suggest you stick with the one I already came up with and start doing your part. Okay?"

A heavy sight follows the sights footsteps.

"Why, out of all the humans living in Arda, did I end up with the only one who can't think of escape plans that are actually capable of working?"

"Are you _in_ or are you _out_?" An annoyed voice asked. "And you can stop acting like a spoiled brat now, Legolas. I kinda already know you're a prince." The same voice sneered.

" _Fine_. But if this plan fails, I'll take off your smelly boots and make you _eat_ them, with a giant _smile_ on your bearded face." A dramatic pause. "And you will _enjoy_ _every minute_ of the painful procedure, of ripping that hard leather in to small, swallow-able pieces." A second slap this day, could be heard. "And I'm _not_ a _spoiled brat_."

"Yeah, okay, whatever will make you finally get along with my plan." After receiving a pointed look the voice groaned. "Alright, alright. I promise to eat my boots, if my _masterpiece_ doesn't work. There, happy?"

"You forgot about one thing, Strider." The first voice said.

A loud groan echoed through the cells. "And you're _not_ a spoiled brat. There, are you satisfied now?"

"Yes." A smile was heard in Legolas's response.

The elf then turned around towards the entrance of the small cage they were in, where Alanell the guard was softly dozing off against the opposing wall.

"Ekhem, Alanell." He said, his voice a gentle imitation of that of his father.

But the elf guardian didn't answer, already to sleepy to respond to his future king.

"Alanell! Wake up!" Legolas wasn't going to take 'no' for an answer, tapping into the infamous temper flowing through every member of his royal family.

The elf on the other side jerked awake from the scream and barely managed to stay on his feet.

"Wha? What is it, princeling Legolas?" Alanell asked, rubbing his tired eyes and walking up towards the gate that separated him from the two other males.

Thranduil's son snorted at the nickname and moved his tied up body, into a more comfortable position.

"It's _prince_ Legolas, Alanell." He corrected sternly. "And I need to borrow your water tank." The soon-to-be ruler of the Woodland kingdom, pointed towards the skin water holder with his blonde head.

The elf guard blinked, then looked at his belt where the water tank was. His sleepy brain not working fast enough to figure out, what the younger elf wanted to do with it.

"What for, my prince?" He asked, his voice tired from all the hours of listening to the two prisoners, bicker between each other about everything and anything.

The sky blue eyes of the hair to Mirkwood rolled, hearing the elder elf's response. _Another grown-up with the mentality of a three-year-old_. He sighted silently to himself. _Aren't I in for a treat, today_.

Though, he had to admit, things were going exactly like Strider said they would go. With his good friend, Alanell being way too sleepy to properly react to their escape.

Not that he would admit it to the human.

The plan still sounded ridiculous to him and no amount of it working, could change that.

"All this chit-chattering with Master Strider here, made my throat feel a bit dry." Legolas said, making his voice sound more strained as if he had a light sore throat.

"Oh…Oh!" The brown haired guard palmed himself gently in the face, before handing the water container to the prince, with a small blush. Ashamed for his…slowness.

"Thank you, guard." The blonde elf nodded towards Aragorn, and the only human in the small facility took the tank, twisted of the cap and gave Legolas a quick sip before reaching into his pocket, searching in it frantically with his hand.

"I though you already had it prepared, Strider." The second future king said watching the man trying to find the herb he wanted within his countless pockets, with unhidden amusement.

"I _had_." Aragorn hissed at the blonde, still searching. "Keep his attention of his water tank for me, will ya? Before he begins asking to get it back."

Legolas rolled his beautiful eyes again before proceeding with the given task.

"So…Alanell. How is your life going so far?"

"Eh…not very well." The guard smirked. "Have to babysit a certain bratty princeling, who is a poor attention freak, who runs away from home and yells at his father."

"Watch it, Alanell." Legolas growled. "Or else this _freakish princeling_ will release you from the terrible burden of being a palace guard, _forever_. With a little whisper to his daddy's ear, about a certain incident in Lake Town the other month."

The guard's eyes widened and a deep blush began growing on his face.

"You wouldn't." He spat, leaning on the metal bounds that kept the two from escaping.

"I wouldn't…For now." Legolas assured, enjoying the momenta look of terror on the other elf's face. "But get on my bad side and, not only will my _father_ know, but also the rest of Arda." And the prince wasn't kidding either.

If _he_ wanted for the whole world to know something, then the whole world _will definitely know_ that certain something.

Swallowing down his growl, Alanell nodded.

"Can I get my water back, now?" He asked through clinched teeth, glaring daggers at his future king.

Legolas briefly looked back at Aragorn, to see if the human was ready with the sleeping potion. Witnessing a quick nod of agreement from Strider, the princeling nodded to his guar/friend and watched as the water tank returned to its owner.

"Perfect." The greatest archer in Mirkwood heard Strider's voice, whispering in his ear. "Now all we need is for him to drink the potion, and we'll be free."

"I could just order him to make a toast but…he'll see something's up." A pause. "There is no way he's going to fall for this, it's just too _dumb_."

Aragorn shrugged.

"It's the only choice we've got and, besides, who knows? It could be so dumb, it might just work."

Sighting Legolas once again focused his attention on the guard, on the other side of the bars. He was trying to shake of the blush that creeped its way into his face, with a look of intense concentration.

"Alanell." He spoke, trying to make his voice sound as much like that of Thranduil as possible.

"What is it now, _princeling_?" The nickname was spat.

"I want you to make a toast, to me and my new friend Strider here." He spoke, trying to fight of the intense sense of ' _stupid'_ that radiated from every word he said.

The guard raised an eyebrow.

"Why would you want me to do that, Prince Legolas?" He asked, generously curious.

"Well…since I and Strider already drank to your honor, albeit very quietly _Ekhem_ , it is only fitting that you do the same for us." The blonde tried to make it sound as convincing as possible, but knew he won't win this round without playing dirty.

Alanell's eyes narrowed in suspicion, the brat was planning something. Most likely another escape that will fail, like very previous one he made up to this point.

He wanted to deny the brat's request, but something in those blue hues told him that if he _doesn't_ comply. His secret will be out faster than the speed of Lord Glorfindel, running away from Elrond's sons.

Grumbling he reached out to his belt, twisted of the cap and swallowed two mouthfuls.

During the first few swallows, the elven guard realized the liquid tasted differently than the last time he drank it. Not to mention the fact that he didn't remember his wife, Maria, saying anything about adding _plants_ into his water.

And it definitely didn't taste like any sort of tea he came across so…what is it?

Alanell was about to ask, when he became very sleepy and that alone was enough to answer the question for him.

He didn't even manage to call out to his fellow guards, before his body collapsed against Legolas's bars with a loud thud.

The last thing he saw was Strider cutting the prince's ropes with his own sword and then all went black.

Only one thing hit his ears before his mind totally gave in to unconsciousness…

And that was the sound of the gate opening.


	5. Chapter 5

"Unlikely Roommates."

Chapter 5

"Oh dear..."

After exiting the dungeon and locking Alanell in their place, the two escapees quickly made their way away from the sell.

Aragorn was about to run up the stairs leading to the palace's main hall, but Legolas grabbed him by the collar and began dragging the ranger in the other direction.

"Are you _suicidal_ , human?!" The blond elf hissed. "If you go out in the open right now, you might get spotted by the guards or, worst-of-all, my _father_!" He tightened his grip on Strider's coat. "If we allow ourselves to get caught, _none of us_ will see the light of day for the rest of our _lives_. And don't think that, _jus_ t because your friends with the lord of Rivendell, he wouldn't lock you up in a dungeon. Because he _would_." He paused allowing the human to catch up, tired of half-dragging half-pulling the heavy ranger. "And I don't know about you, but 'rest of my life' sounds a bit long to me."

Aragorn growled quietly and managed to struggle his way out of the elf's hands.

"Alright, hotshot." He snarled, crossing his hands on his chest. "What do _you_ suggest we do, then?" He gave him a look. "Because, the last time I checked, the only way _out_ the castle was _through the entrance door_."

"And _that's_ where you're _wrong_ , human." Legolas stated with triumph, poking the ranger in the forehead. Aragorn growled and pushed the elf's hand away. "There _is_ another way out this palace." After poking his tongue as his new friend, the prince walked up to the opposing wall and began scanning if for something with his hands. "Hmm…should be here…somewhere."

Rolling his eyes Aragorn moved up to the edge of the wall, taking a position that allows him to watch the hallway without being seen. So far nobody decided to ruin their little escape plan, but that can't go on forever. Soon the guard replacing Alanell will come to check what happened to his predecessor and they'll unavoidably get caught.

"Any time now, Pointy Ear." He whispered harshly to the young prince who's still messaging the other wall. They were wasting precious seconds!

"Shhhh…" The blonde haired elf, scolded the ranger. "It's not as easy as it looks, human." Legolas whispered harshly. "All those bricks look the same in the darkness."

"I thought you _knew_ where the, quote on quote, 'other way out' is, princeling." Aragorn hissed forcefully, for he could already hear footsteps in the nearby distance.

"I _do_ know where it is, human. Now shut up and let me focus." Legolas growled quietly and patted the wall with newfound urgency. "Valar, this was so much easier when I was an elfling." He muttered, running a hand across his face. He stopped suddenly, realizing what he just said and kicking himself for being so stupid. "When I was an elfling…of course!" Legolas then lowered his searching down to his knee level, and begun patting the solid wall once more.

"I don't want to hurry you, princeling..." Aragorn started, as he moved further away from his guar post. "But I fear Alanell's shift just ended and his replacement is on his way here."

"Damn you and your damn punctuality, Darrion." The elf prince growled under his breath. "Once, just _once_ in his immortal life, you'd think he'd do his prince a favor and be late. But _nooooo_ , he has to be the _perfect little soldier_ and always be on time!"

"Are you done?" Isildur's heir asked, amused by the young elf's angry, little rant. "Because, continue rambling like that and the source of your anger will be upon our backs, faster than you can say 'Shut up, silly human'." He hissed. "I give you two minutes tops to find what you're looking for. After that we're _forcing_ our way out." Aragorn warned his new companion, through gritted teeth.

The sound of moving rock answered the human's question, as well as a quiet 'Yes!' from the kneeling figure of the blonde elf prince.

"Come on, ' _Silly Human_ '" Legolas said, gently kicking him in the chins while crawling into the secret pass away. " _Unless_ you want to stay and have a little 'chit-chat' with Darrion?" He asked looking over his shoulder at the Ranger. "You are such a likeable character, I'm sure you'll get along _perfectly_."

Aragorn just pushed the elf further into the tunnel.

"Just move it, elf." He sneered, squeezing through the narrow opening behind Legolas. " _Don't_ make me poke your behind, with my sword." Strider warned quietly as he heard the rock slide back into place, behind him.

The tunnel was, unsurprisingly, tight, dark, gloomy and worst of all, quiet. With wet moss covering the ground, getting between Elrond's human son's fingers and onto his pant legs, with a disgusting sound. Why as Legolas, moved around without making so much a sound, further infuriating the young ranger.

Apart from being utterly disgusted and annoyed, Aragorn was also blind to his surroundings thanks to the darkness hanging in the air. For _once_ he thanked the Valar for the elf's presence before him, otherwise he would be feeling utterly claustrophobic.

Suddenly, after about solid ten minutes of crawling through moss in total darkness, Legolas suddenly stopped. Making the future king of Gondor bump into him.

"What is it?" He whispered, knowing full well they could be heard if not careful. "Why did you stop?" Aragorn asked even though his insides tightened, fearing the answer.

The prince bit his lip, hearing the obvious fear in the man's voice and again wrecked his memory for this particular cross-road.

Truth to be told the last time he went exploring those secret pass-ways, was when he was a tiny elfling running away from his tutors. And, even though it wasn't a terribly long time ago by elf standards, the point still stands.

He was lost.

Utterly and truthfully lost.

The poor prince couldn't remember if he should turn right or left, now.

One path would lead him towards the stables, where he intended to lead their escape. And the other to the palace's wine supply, his father's favorite hang-out spot.

Swallowing down the lump in his throat, he calmed his breath and thundering heart.

"You want to know the good or the bad news, first?" Legolas whispered back to Strider.

A shaky breath could be heard behind him.

"Let's start with the good one."

"Well…the good news is, we're out of the dungeons…" The prince stated, a little triumph in his voice.

"And…the bad news?" Aragorn's tone of voice suggested he already knew the answer to that one, but wanted to hear it from the elf's mouth.

"We're lost."

* * *

Thranduil watched the red wine stain the glass it was in, as he moved it in a circular motion to appreciate its purity and good age.

This particular wine barrel was made by his father to celebrate his birth, so it practically grew up with the infamous elf king.

It was with him from day one, spreading his happiness during the glorious moments of his life, as well as drowning away the sorrowful times with its strong taste.

It was with him the day he married Leanna…he opened it when Legolas was born and when he spoke his first word…as well as celebrated with him, every battle he ever won.

He reached for its comfort when his beloved wife died that faithful day in an orc attack…that day Oropher breathed his last breath under the Black Gates…and when Legolas became sick with chicken pock.

Right now the proud king was celebrating his most recent success, which was keeping his brattling son concealed in the dungeon. Safe from any harm that could've come to him, if he was out in the woods with the rest of the company.

Smiling at his little victory, Thranduil took a large sip of his wine.

That exact moment, Darrion barged into the throne room.

"My King!" He yelled, urgently. "Legolas and the ranger escaped from the dungeons!"

Hearing this, Elvenking Thranduil Oropherion did something very un-elflike.

He spat out all the wine he drank, on the poor guard.

"WHAT?!"


	6. Chapter 6

"Unlikely Roommates."

Chapter 6

"Bickering and yelling."

"What do you mean, 'We're lost'?!" Strider yelled, his voice sounding high-pitched and filled with panic. Legolas hissed as the loud sound echoed though the closed space, making his sensitive ears hurt and hear whistling that wasn't real. Rubbing his right temple the young prince thought about a way out of this situation, though the panicked ranger did nothing to help.

"How could you get lost in your own _house,_ Princeling?!" Aragorn yelled, desperately trying to ignore the tight walls that seemed to be closing onto him at an alarming rate.

"These _tunnels_ are _not_ my _home_ , Smelly Human." The prince bit back, irritated. "I'm not a rat, I don't live in the sewers. Unlike _you,_ if your odor is to be taken seriously."

"I don't smell! I just spend a lot of time outdoors. You know, because I'm a _ranger_ and that's kind of what we _do_."

"Yes, if you count hanging around stables, rolling abound in dry dirt and hugging skunks as being 'outdoors'." The elf snorts. "Because I honestly don't believe that the beautiful world beyond the borders of my father's kingdom, full of colorful and aromatic flowers, smells like a trash can."

"I _don't_ smell like a _trash can_!" The ranger yelled, his anger and fear echoing through the darkness. "I've been locked up in a _dungeon_ after two _days_ of nonstop travel!" He sneered. "I doubt _you'd_ smell any better if you traveled via horse, in burning sunlight, with only two sets of spare clothes for about 48 hours straight!"

"You _do_ realize that you can carry around a bar of soap, right?" Legolas knew they were acting ridiculously childish, but it was better than thinking about being stuck in a dark, tight environment that's also a maze that they can't escape from. "It's not filled with acid that can melt your backpack if it dirty, no matter _what_ the twins tell you."

"I know tha-wait…they told you that one too?" That spiked the ranger's interest, instantly liking the fact that he wasn't the only butt to his brother's jokes.

"They practically _couldn't resist_ after seeing how much time I liked to spend in the bathtub, as an elfling." The prince sighted at the memory. "Told me _all about_ the 'Legend of Darius-the Elf that took too much soap' and how he lost his favorite traveling pack to the nasty, evil soap that melted inside it."

"Elrohir tried that one with me before I became a ranger but it didn't buy it, sounded a bit farfetched even all those years ago." Aragorn snorted. "Sounds even _more_ ridiculous _now_ , then it did back then. I can't _believe_ they expected me to believe that."

"Yeah…" The youngest son of Elrond heard the fair prince shift in front of him. "How could they indeed."

"…" For a second the young human fully believed the thingness of the surrounding walls combined with the suffocating darkness was beginning to play tricks on his mind, since the prince didn't just _say_ what he _thinks_ he said. He _must have_ heard wrong.

The minute of total silence that followed was all the proof he needed.

"You _believed_ them." He said afterwards, almost seeing the blonde before him blister in embarrassment. "You _actually believed them!_ "

"I was _eight-years-old_!" Legolas yelled back, his voice high-pitched and face so red he was thankful for the surrounding blackness. "I believed in evil teeth-eating _fairies_ that come and pull out all your teeth, if you stop brushing them and in the wandering _ghost_ of my _grandfather_ that would _chase me_ with his _sword_ , if he ever caught me wandering around the palace in the middle of the night, at that age!"

"But you _still_ believed them!" Strider laughed despite being kicked in the arms by his embarrassed guide. "Oh this is rich! The great Legolas Greenleaf Thrandulion believed in 'Acid Soap'! Just wait till I tell that to the twins!"

"Don't. You. _Dare_!"

"They'll _never_ let you live it down!" Aragorn continued to chuckle even when the prince got lucky and managed to kick him in the chest. "You'll probably be known as 'Legolas-the Elf that feared cleaning cosmetics' for the rest of your immortal life!"

"Call me that _again_ and you'll be known as 'Aragorn-the Smelly human that wouldn't shut up and got his mouth stuffed with 'Acid soap', by the elf that feared cleaning cosmetics'!" Legolas growled back. "And I'll make sure _every bard_ on _Arda_ makes at least _sixteen_ song about you, my reputation be damned." He added, his low voice giving a clear warning.

He wasn't kidding.

Aragorn just smiled and was about to respond, when a rather angry yell pierced the maze.

"WHAT DO YOU MEAN ' _THEY ESCAPED_ '?!"

"WHAT DO YOU MEAN 'THEY ESCAPED'?!"

Darrion winced seeing the furious look on his king's face, as the tall fair-haired elf slammed his hands down on the wine barrel before him.

It wasn't the first time Thranduil exploded at someone, actually he was rather famous because of those explosions, but it took matters concerning his one and only child to get the Mirkwood king this riddled up.

Realizing the thunderous Elvenking was expecting an answer, the young guard cleared his throat and fingered the collar of his armor nervously.

"I do not know how it happened, my king." He began slowly, watching the elder elf for any aggressive reactions to the bad news. "By the time I went down there to relive Alanell form his shift, the prince and the human trespasser were already long gone, with an unconscious Alanell locked up in their place." The young red headed elf noticed the Elvenking's handsome face twist in an angry snarl and his right hand reaching towards the long sword he had strapped to his belt, at the mention of the failed guard's name.

Seeing the raw fury written all over Thranduil's body Darrion was happy his brother wasn't here with him, their king looked ready to pounce and gut the first person he believed was the cause of his elfling's disappearance.

And, right now, that unfortunate soul was Alanell himself.

"How could this happen, Darrion?!" Thranduil suddenly bellowed as he threw his arms up and began pacing the room back and forth. "He was _tied up hands to ankles_ , _locked up_ in a _dungeon_ with _no_ weapons and only a low-rank _ranger_ for compa-" Suddenly the king stopped his pacing, looking as if he just got enlightened.

"You _did_ search the trespasser for any weapons before you threw my son into the same cell, _correct_?" The fair king asked, eyeing the guard with his intense blue-gray eyes.

The redness suddenly covering most of the younger elf's face, making his skin blend in with his red main, was all the answer Thranduil needed.

"IDIOTS! ORC-BRAINS! AIRHEADED, BLABBERING DISGRACES OF MIRKWOOD MILITARY! IS _THIS_ WHAT THEY TEACH YOUNGLINGS THESE DAYS, IN THE TRAINING ACADEMY?! I SAW _ELFLINGS_ WITH WOODEN SWORDS _PRETENDING_ TO BE GUARDS, WITH BETTER ARMY DISCIPLINE THAN _YOU_! HOW COULD YOU MAKE SUCH A _NOVICE_ MISTAKE?! WHAT KIND OF GUARD _DOSEN'T_ SEARCH THE PRISSONERS BEFORE HE LOCKS THEM UP?! YOU AND YOUR BROTHER BETTER FIND MY SON BEFORE THE MOON RISES, OR I'LL MAKE THE TWO OF YOU WATSH THE MIRKWOOD TOILETS WITH YOUR _TOOTHBRUSHES_ FOR THE REST OF YOUR IMMORTAL LIVES!"


	7. Chapter 7

"Unlikely Roommates."

Chapter 7

"Finally free."

For a couple of minutes, after the enraged screams of Legolas's father that were so colorful and vulgar they would make the nastiest orc blush, quieted down the two acquaintances stuck in the dark and eerie tunnels were caught speechless.

When Legolas felt his vocal cords regain their ability to create sound, he looked over his shoulder to the human behind him.

"Right side tunnel?"

"Right side tunnel." Aragorn nodded in total agreement since it seemed that the loud cursing and screaming came mostly from the opposite direction.

Not long after that little conversation the duo began moving again, both males happy to get even the tiniest bit closer towards the exit and no longer being stuck in one place.

"Your father's reputation precedes him." Aragorn's voice penetrated the tunnels when the sound of silence became to overbearing for the young human. "His anger really _is_ as loud and dangerous as the harshest storm and thunder." Actually, in Isildur's heir's _humble_ opinion, it was _much_ louder and _much_ more dangerous than even _Elladan_ and _Elrohir's_ most _over-exaggerating_ stories, didn't do it justice.

The future ruler of mankind was sure the white wizard Saruman could hear Thranduil's screaming and yelling from his residence in Isengard.

He heard the elf before him chuckle quietly.

"My Ada tends to overreact at times," Legolas admitted ignoring the snort from Aragorn, " _especially_ when it comes to me, but mostly his outburst are more controlled than what we just witnessed."

"Why do I _not_ believe you?" The future king asked sarcastically and received a rather hard kick in the chest from his tour guide.

"Because you are a very bad _smelly_ human that would rather believe in _rumors_ than in the truth, because it's more fun that way." Legolas retaliated his tone scolding, though you could hear that he was in this time of situation at least _once_ in his life from the way he said it.

"Speaking from experience, are we?" Aragorn grinned into the darkness that surrounded them, enjoying teasing the poor princeling a bit more than he probably should. "Is our dear _noble_ prince prone to something as mundane and _commonly_ as _gossip_?" He faked a surprised gasp. "And here I thought your daddy only allowed you to talk about _politics_ and _trade routes_ with other kingdoms, and here you are doing the exact opposite." The human shook his head. "My, my you really _are_ quite the rebel, little prince."

Narrowing his eyes at his companion, Legolas prepared his response.

"There comes a time in every prince's life when those _oh-so-fascinating_ topics start _leaking out_ of his _ears_ along with _blood_ because his eardrums erupted from _both_ the monotone tone in which those topics are being discussed, _and_ the ever-present 'I-would-rather-study-orc- _breeding_ - _patterns_ -than-continue-listening-to-this' thought, echoing repeatedly in his head." The blonde prince made his voice sound almost mentor-like, as if he was a seasoned king explaining something _very_ important about princehood to a freshly baked princeling. "When that time _comes_ , even the latest argument between peasants about wherever the sky is 'simply blue' or 'blue-with-a-hint-of-gray blue' _,_ is _more_ interesting than _whatever_ is going on in the King's meeting hall." He allowed the speech to end with a 'trust-me-I-know' hidden message, knowing that the infuriating tag-along will catch it.

To his surprise Aragorn didn't immediately have a snarky comeback prepared to fire back at him, which forced them to continue their dark journey in relative silence, with only the sound of their hands and pants scratching against the stone floor beneath them.

Legolas couldn't quite decide wherever it was the comfortable type of silence or the more unpleasant one, in their rather…unusual circumstances.

True, they were walking in absolute and utter _darkness,_ but the knowledge that they're not alone in this maze of secret tunnels and that the other person can, and _will_ , provide a distraction from the claustrophobic feeling that's waiting to pounce their minds the _minute_ they let their guards down, is actually quite _comforting_ and made this situation a lot more bearable, than if they separated ways.

Before he could continue down that train of thought, Aragorn decided to ask the most _annoying_ question a person in the middle of a travel, can ask.

"Are we there yet?"

The prince gritted his teeth than muttered:

"No _sweetheart_ , we'll _be_ there when we _get_ there." He said in the perfect impression of his father when the king was _particularly_ annoyed at him during one of their shared trips to the further outskirts of the forest, when he was but a wee thing. "Now be a _good_ little boy and pretend to be something nice and quiet like, for example, a stone, while Daddy focuses on keeping us _on_ the right path and _not_ getting stuck in this maze for the rest of our lives."

Aragorn reacted… _similarly_ to how the heir to the Mirkwood throne expected him to, but not _quite_.

"Yes, _Mummy_."

Oh, that _stung_.

Felling his cheeks flush Legolas was about to pay him back with a, swift yet painful, kick to the head…

...When his nose collided with something that felt a _lot_ like a certain _exit_ they were looking for.

"Aragorn?"

"…"

"…Strider?"

"…"

"What is the _matter_ with _you_?! Speak up!"

"I can't."

"…What? Why not?!"

"You _told me_ to play ' _Stone_ '!" Came the grumpy response. "Make you your mind, mom! You want me to talk or not?!" A tired sight followed. "Geez, you women and your changeable moods."

After hearing _that_ Legolas was of half a mind to _not_ tell him about the exit discovery, but figured getting out of the damn woods and being able to _finally_ see Rivendell, was _worth_ the additional insults thrown his way.

"I think I found our exit."

A small pause followed.

"You did?" Came the tentative question.

"Yes."

"Then _what_ are you _waiting_ for?!" The human's voice was noticeably laced with impatience regarding their predicament. "Get us _out_ of here, already!"

Wanting to get out of the freaky dark prison as well, Legolas didn't even pay _attention_ to the obvious command in the man's words and simply worked on opening the barrier that separated them from the outside world.

Once the door was out of the way and the two friends exited the tunnels, both man and elf never thought they'd be so _happy_ to see the smelly insides of a stable.


End file.
